Cooke & Bieler LP Acquires 48,345 Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated $UNH

Cooke & Bieler LP raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 364,424 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after acquiring an additional 48,345 shares during the period. UnitedHealth Group makes up approximately 1.3% of Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $125,836,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Callahan Advisors LLC grew its position in UnitedHealth Group by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 49,672 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $17,152,000 after purchasing an additional 1,459 shares during the period. Instrumental Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the third quarter worth $406,000. Copia Wealth Management lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 189.2% in the third quarter. Copia Wealth Management now owns 240 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. boosted its position in UnitedHealth Group by 34.0% in the third quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 5,801 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock worth $2,003,000 after purchasing an additional 1,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sage Rhino Capital LLC increased its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 1,030 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $411.00 to $409.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $433.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Leerink Partners set a $410.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $378.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $386.33.

Key Stories Impacting UnitedHealth Group

Here are the key news stories impacting UnitedHealth Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho reiterated a Buy on UNH and kept a $430 price target, highlighting the importance of the upcoming Medicare Advantage 2027 Advance Notice as a potential tailwind for enrollment and margins. Mizuho reiterates Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Retail sentiment on Reddit and X has moved from deeply bearish to neutral over the past week, helping shares recover after retail-driven selling earlier this month. Reddit sentiment shift
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target slightly (from $411 to $409) but kept an Overweight rating, signaling continued analyst confidence despite a small technical cut to the target. Morgan Stanley target change
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary and market moves note UNH has outperformed the broader market in short-term trading, reflecting mixed buying interest ahead of the Jan. 27 catalyst. Outperforms broader market
• Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth executives faced tough questioning from Congress on healthcare affordability — a reminder of political/regulatory risk that could pressure policy outcomes or public perception. Congressional grilling
• Negative Sentiment: UnitedHealth announced it will rebate 2026 ACA plan profits to customers, which could weigh on near-term margins and highlights ongoing regulatory/competitive pressure in the individual market. ACA profit rebate
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn of rising medical costs and a higher medical cost ratio (MCR) heading into Q4 results — several pieces advise caution until the Jan. 27 release when clearer margin and cost detail will arrive. Cost pressures warning

UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of UNH opened at $356.46 on Monday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $332.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $323.59. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1 year low of $234.60 and a 1 year high of $606.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $322.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.87 by $0.05. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 19.23%. The business had revenue of $113.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.15 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th were issued a dividend of $2.21 per share. This represents a $8.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 8th. UnitedHealth Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.14%.

About UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group Inc is a diversified health care company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, that operates two primary business platforms: UnitedHealthcare and Optum. Founded in 1977, the company provides a broad range of health benefits and health care services to individuals, employers, governmental entities and other organizations. Its operations span commercial employer-sponsored plans, individual and Medicare and Medicaid programs, and services for customers and health systems in the United States and selected international markets.

UnitedHealthcare is the company’s benefits business, administering health plans and networks, managing provider relationships, and offering coverage products for employers, individuals, and government-sponsored programs.